Happy New Year from our Family to Yours!

Let me begin by saying that 2007 was a magical, exciting year for us! We seemed to roll many of the "life events" that the experts say should be major stress points in your life (a new baby, quitting your job to stay home, selling your house, accepting a new job and moving to the other side of the planet) into one extraordinary year.

And, my goodness, do I feel lucky about it all. Life is so, so good. I am looking forward to 2008 and all of the surprises the year has to offer.

I am thankful for my kind, generous husband and for my little girl who teaches me something new every day.

Since we've moved overseas, I have a renewed sense of esprit-de-corps and feel almost childlike with the opportunities for personal growth that seemed to be handed to me with our new lifestyle.

I'm not good at resolutions, so I am taking the suggestion from the web site of a friend and providing you with a list of 25 things that make me happy. Focusing on happy thoughts is a positive way to welcome in 2008.

So, here's a list of 25 things that make me smile, in no particular order:

1. reading a really good book
2. staying in a hotel and ordering room service
3. the way George pronounces my name
4. drinking champagne
5. long, deep conversations with my girlfriends (the ones where we think we solve all of the world's problems, and this usually involves a bottle or two of wine)
6. shopping with my mother
7. the way Zeina smiles at me when she first wakes up in the morning
8. driving over the causeway heading into Galveston
9. Beach Boys music
10. my mother's strawberry cake
11. Zeina's hand in mine
12. a hug from George, anything seems possible at this moment
13. watching a baseball game
14. Christmas morning when I first wake up and am full of anticipation
15. a long hot bath
16. macaroni and cheese
17. Christmas Eve church service
18. the beach
19. going to bed early
20. waking up early
21. the funny nicknames George calls me
22. planning a trip
23. coming home from a trip!
24. the song, "On the Road Again"
25. looking at family pictures

Happy New Year!